Fifth-wheel



(No Model.)

C. R. TURNER.

FIFTH WHEEL.

Patented Jan.4,1898.

I IOR WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CALEB R. TURNER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

FIFTH-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 596,640, dated January 4, 1898. Application filed February 25, 1897. Serial No. 624,991. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, CALEB R.. TURNER, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Fifth-WVheel, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to vehicles having fifth-wheels provided with roller-bearings to permit the vehicle to turn easily; and the object of the invention is to provide a new and improved fifth-wheel arranged to be completely dust-proof to keep the rollers at all times in good condition.

The construction which I employ has a housing or casing adapted to contain the rollers and made of two annular bearing-plates, of which the lower L-shaped bearing-plate is formed at its inner edge with an annular recess or shoulder, into which fits the lower edge of the inner wall of the top bearing-plate.

The invention consists of the construction of certain parts, as will be fully described hereinafter and then defined in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of the improvement as applied. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the same with parts in section, and Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation of the same on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

The improved fifth-wheel is provided with a housing or casing A, formed with an L- shaped bottom bearing-plate A and the U- shaped bearing-plate A both in the form of a ring, and with the lower bearing-plate A, secured to the running-gear B of the vehicle, as plainly illustrated in Fig. 1. The top bearing-plate A is connected with and supports the bed or body 0 of the vehicle.

In the housing or casing A are mounted the rollers D, traveling on the horizontal'member A of the lower bearing-plate A and engaged at the top by the under surface of the middle member of the top bearing-plate A as plainly shown in the drawings. The rollers D are journaled in rings E and E, which are rigidly connected with each other by stays E and arranged in such a manner that they do not touch the inner surfaces of the housing A. The horizontal member A of the lower bearing-plate A is formed at its inner edge with an. annular recess A, into which fits the lower end of the inner wall A of the top member A so as to render the under side of the housing dust-proof. The outer depending member A of the top bearing-plate A fits over the outside of the upper portion of the outer member A of the lower bearing-plate A, so that the entire housing is rendered com pletely dustproof. The adjacent surfaces of the members A and A are preferably slightly beveled to insure a good joint and prevent dust from passing to the under side of the housing.

Having thus fully describedmy invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by-Letters Patent- A fifth-wheel having a plurality of rollers mounted in a circular line between two rings arranged in the same plane, the fifth-wheel also having a circular casing or housing inclosing the rollers and rings and having two sections with relative movement in a circular line, the sections being held from forcible engagement with each other by the rollers, the lower section being L-shaped in cross-section and having a horizontal member with an upwardly-extending member at its outer edge, the inner edge of the horizontal member having a rabbet-groove therein, and the upper section of the housing being channel-shaped in cross-section and having its main member or horizontal portion bearing on the rollers, the inner side flange of the upper section extending down and having, its edges fitting within the rabbet-groove of the lower section, and the outer side flange of the said second section projecting down outside of the upwardly-projecting flange on the lower section of the casing or housing.

CALEB R. TURNER.

Witnesses:

THEO. G. HOSTER, J NO. M. BITTER. 

